Friday, March 15, 2013

Ken Wilkins, ex-Wolverine

Defensive tackle Ken Wilkins

Defensive tackle Ken Wilkins has left the team. Wilkins just finished his redshirt sophomore season, but he had yet to play a single down at Michigan.

Wilkins committed to Michigan in June 2009 as a member of the 2010 class. Rich Rodriguez recruited him as a "Quick," the OLB/DE hybrid that Craig Roh played at one time. As you can see from my commitment post (link), I always had doubts about whether Wilkins had the athleticism to pull off that kind of role. Wilkins redshirted in 2010, and by spring 2011 he was playing strongside end for Brady Hoke. Wilkins eventually grew into a 6'3", 294 lb. nose tackle, but the weight wasn't good weight. Reports indicated that he lacked intensity on the field and in the weight room, struggling to stay low; that was evident in the limited practice film and in his spring game performance. He was not expected to contribute much in 2013, since rising sophomore Ondre Pipkins had already surpassed him, Wilkins' classmate Richard Ash has earned some playing time, and the coaches seemed more excited about redshirt freshman Willie Henry, too.

I've always wondered how do the weak players know to move on? Does the coach call them into the office and tell them that their scholarship is being pulled, or if told that if they stay, they will forever be a bench player and therefore, "you make the call." Or do the coaches simply let them figure it out for themselves?

Some of them see the writing on the wall and leave of their own volition. Most coaches will respect giving kids four years to earn their degree if the kids are doing what needs to be done but just aren't good enough. But if you have guys who aren't working hard (on or off the field) and aren't contributing, the coaches will call a guy into the office and say, "Hey, you're going to have to pay your own way, or you're going to have to go somewhere else."

Scholarships are on a year-to-year basis, so coaches who administer athletic scholarships - just like academic scholarships - can send a guy packing if he's not doing what's required in the scholarship agreement.